CAIRO (AP) -- Al-Qaida has vowed to keep fighting the United States and avenge the death of Osama bin Laden, which it acknowledged for the first time Friday in an Internet statement apparently designed to convince followers that it will remain vigorous and intact even after its founder's demise.Al-Qaida's plots are usually large-scale and involve planning over months or even years. But Western int

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama Friday urged his nation to invest more in the development of clean energy technology in order not to lag behind South Korea and other countries."We're in a competition all around the world, and other countries -- Germany, China, South Korea -- they know that clean energy technology is what is going to help spur job creation and economic growth for years to

WASHINGTON -- The United States and China next week will discuss ways to improve inter-Korean ties and reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the State Department said Friday.Speaking to reporters, spokesman Mark Toner expressed hope that the Security and Economic Dialogue between the U.S. and China, slated to be held in Washington Monday and Tuesday, will serve as a venue to discuss the tension

A NATO missile strike killed Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son and three grandchildren on Saturday but the Libyan leader survived, a government spokesman said.Gadhafi and his wife were in the Tripoli house of his 29-year-old son, Seif al-Arab Gadhafi, when it was hit by at least one bomb dropped from a NATO warplane, according to Libyan spokesman Moussa Ibrahim.``The leader himself is in good health,

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A powerful earthquake struck in waters off the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami was expected.The magnitude-6.9 quake struck about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, at a depth of 50 miles (80 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey s

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2011 (AFP) - U.S. lawmakers are seeking an explanation from Apple following claims that iPhones and iPads constantly log the location of the devices and store the information in a hidden file.Senator Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, sent a letter to Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday, while Democratic Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts sent Jobs a

TOKYO (AP) -- Readings Monday from robots that entered two crippled buildings at Japan's tsunami-flooded nuclear plant for the first time in more than a month revealed a harsh environment still too radioactive for workers to enter.   Nuclear officials said the radiation data for Unit 1 and Unit 3 at the tsunami-flooded Fukushima Dai-ichi plant _ collected by U.S.-made robots that look like draftin

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia permanently switched its clocks to summer time on Sunday in a change backed by President Dmitry Medvedev, who has said people and even cows suffer stress from getting up at a different time.The move means that Moscow will be permanently four hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) but experts said people suffer no ill effects from changing clocks and questioned the need for

SYDNEY (AFP) ― “I want to see glitter and sequins and feathers,” shouts American actress Lily Tomlin as she pumps up revelers ahead of Sydney’s famous and irreverent Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.“I want to see you basking in your own glory!” she yells as the gay pride parade, an annual event which has enjoyed a growing international profile in recent years, kicks off under rainy skies.Comedian Tomlin was a celebrity guest at this month’s Mardi Gras and one of thousands of foreigners joining what h

Travel has become a booming business in China as economic growth has lifted incomesSHANGHAI (AFP) ― A crescendo of voices builds on a typically bustling day in the Shanghai headquarters of Ctrip.com as staff put together hundreds of tourist trips. It is the sound of China’s travel boom.Call after call comes in to Asia’s largest travel call center from mainly Chinese consumers, but also international travelers booking flights, hotels and tour packages for anywhere from Hong Kong to Havana.“You’re

BEIJING (AP) - China's government promised Saturday to clamp down on inflation and urgently raise incomes as it pushes to spread the benefits of economic growth at a time when living standards are rising but so are popular calls for greater change.In a more than two-hour speech that is China's equivalent to a state-of-the-nation address, Premier Wen Jiabao vowed to boost assistance to working clas

Nation Multimedia Group is set to move into the local education market in a joint venture with South-East Asia University. “Nation University” is a 250 million baht joint venture. The group has already signed a 175 million baht ($5.7 million) takeover deal with Siritaj Rojanapruk, owner and license holder of Lampang’s Yonok University. Under the deal, Nation University will own and operate the uni